it@M: How Munich’s IT Department Champions Digitalization & AI for Public Value
News
Munich, 13 May 2025 — Fourteen international students from the Master in Digital Business Management (MDBM) at Pforzheim University visited the City of Munich’s IT department, it@M, to explore cutting-edge approaches in public sector digitalization and artificial intelligence.
The morning began with a welcome and introduction by Dr. Mark Menzel, who presented the size and scope of it@M—Munich’s professional IT backbone. He emphasized how it@M modernizes city administration, streamlining citizen services and optimizing workflows. Dr. Menzel highlighted the central mission: putting people’s needs first, building stakeholder-centered solutions, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. The English-speaking group appreciated insights into the professional routines and expectations of a major municipal IT hub.
Next, Dr. Nina Böhm outlined Munich’s Digitalization Strategy. She described the city’s vision for a vibrant, equitable, and sustainable urban community shaped by digital innovation. Dr. Böhm detailed Munich’s approach to balancing technology with public interest, ensuring digital tools serve all citizens. She shared examples such as improved user interfaces for online services and projects promoting digital inclusion, anchoring their efforts in making city life easier, more accessible, and future-ready for everyone.
The third agenda block featured Leon Lukas, who introduced the AI focus and the InnovationLab. He explained how the newly established KI Competence Center (KICC) guides the smart use of artificial intelligence in the city administration. Lukas presented the internal AI chatbot, MUCGPT, which empowers employees to access information swiftly and automate routine tasks. He described ongoing use cases like the inspira_BIB media recommendation engine for public libraries and AI-powered searches to enhance digital citizen services. The InnovationLab, he noted, is a creative space where prototypes are built and piloted with end-users, while transparency and responsible governance are maintained via system cards for each AI initiative.
Finally, Viktoria Rau led a guided tour through the it@M facilities, offering a look at collaborative workspaces and digital infrastructure supporting the city’s transformation.
The visit to it@M provided a vivid, practice-oriented connection to the core curriculum of the MDBM program. For example, the strategic approach to digitalization and IT management closely aligns with the content of “Digital Management” and “IT Management,” illustrating how digital infrastructures are planned and implemented for citywide transformation. The city’s development and launch of AI-powered services, such as MUCGPT, mirror the principles taught in “Development of Digital Business Models & Products,” as students see how innovative digital tools are designed and iteratively improved in real-world applications. The emphasis on transparent, stakeholder-centered, and agile working methods directly reflects the methodology found in “Agile Project and Process Management.” These close links between the visit and the curriculum underline the practical relevance and future-readiness of the MDBM program’s learning objectives.
Understanding how Munich operationalizes digital and AI transformation prepares MDBM students to lead and advise on technology-driven change in both public and private sectors. The it@M visit demonstrated best practices in digital government for a diverse, international student group, and revealed how cities are dynamic partners for theses, research, and future digital leadership careers. Overall, the it@M visit provided practical insights into how a leading city translates digital ambitions into everyday impacts.
